Hidden
by Tearless Wish
Summary: Naruto succeeds in bringing Sasuke back. However, it left him severely weakened, and the Kyuubi wants out. Can Naruto and Sasuke sort out their differences to combat it? What about the Akatsuki? Warnings: abuse, dark themes, explicit details of wounds...
1. The Beginning

Two boys faced each other, two pairs of eyes staring at each other. One in anger, the other desperate and pleading, tinted red with animalistic rage. One was a blonde, shrouded in red chakra in the shape of a fox. The other a raven, skin an abnormal grey with two huge hands sticking out of his back in a crude imitation of wings. Night and day. Yin and yang. A swirling ball of compressed, malevolent red chakra formed in the hand of the whiskered blond, a cackling mass of tainted black chakra in the hand of the other. As if they were mirrored images, they jumped forward at a signal which only the two of them knew about, actions inversed and exactly the same.

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

* * *

><p>Kakkashi raced through the forest, as he urged his legs to move faster. His students were in danger! He came to an abrupt stop, however, as he spied a blob that stood out among the natural green shade of trees and earth. He slowed.<p>

"Naruto? Naruto, are you okay?" he asked the figure, as he neared it.

An alarming amount of blood flowed from the hole in his chest, the flesh around it charred, but already starting to close. Wounds littered his form. Droplets of the wine-red liquid was left in the shape of his footsteps, a trail to show the distance he had travelled.

On his back was another boy, his dark locks a sharp contrast to the blond, although it was hard to tell because of the blood which matted the both of them. Every step the blond took caused his wounds to widen, and his chest wound was just horrifying to look at.

"N-Naruto…" Kakkashi stammered, a hand reaching out for the boy. "I'll carry Sasuke, so…"

The boy shied away from his hand, though, the movement leaving a splatter of blood on the floor.

"Naruto…"

* * *

><p>Sakura stood by the gates of Konoha, waiting for the return of Kakkashi and Sasuke. She squealed as she finally saw the two figures she was waiting for approach.<p>

"Sasuke-kun! Sensei, is Sasuke-kun alright?" she shouted at them, running up to meet them.

The sight that greeted her eyes was not one which she wanted to see. Kakkashi was flitting about Naruto worriedly, the boy giving no visible reaction as he continued to walk. What drew her gaze however, was the body that Naruto had slung over a shoulder.

Her beloved Sasuke-kun had bruises all over him and seemed unconscious, a bleeding shoulder wound clearly visible. He was drenched in blood, and he seemed paler, as if he were a corpse. She screamed.

* * *

><p>Just keep walking. He had promised. To bring Sasuke back to Konoha. So…<p>

He didn't know how long he had been walking for. A hand reached for him. He avoided it, frowning. He wouldn't let anyone take Sasuke. Not when he could finally bring him back. The hand didn't come again, and he continued walking resolutely. His vision was blurred, and the edges were tinted black. Weariness weighed heavily on him.

A bright flash of white spread across his fading sight, and the scene he saw cleared a little. Sakura had her hand out, glaring at him, an angry flush across her face as tears appeared in green eyes. His check started to sting.

"Naruto! How could you? I asked you to bring back Sasuke-kun, but not half-dead like this! How could you?" She screamed, back-handing him across the face.

He watched as she left along with a group of shinobi to the hospital, Kakkashi carrying Sasuke. They were gone in a moment. All of them were worried about Sasuke, after all.

He recalled the tears in Sakura's eyes. He had made her cry. He was such a jerk.

Exhaustion rose like a wave to engulf him. He wouldn't. He couldn't collapse in the middle of the road like this. He would be blocking other people's way. His knees buckled as the strength to simply stand left him. He dragged himself across the ground slowly, gritting his teeth as sand entered his wounds and raw flesh was dragged over the ground, which was littered with small rocks. He had to at least reach the woods.

After what seemed like an eternity, he felt the cool shade of trees and knew that he had reached the edge of the forest. Sight abandoned him long ago. He felt himself slip into unconsciousness, falling from the darkness into a chasm so deep, he felt like he could never escaped it. One last thought stood out as he drifted away.

They had took Sasuke to the hospital and left him here.

* * *

><p>The Kyuubi gritted its teeth as it sent out another wave of chakra throughout his host's body. He refused to die here, trapped in this pathetic mortal body. Definitely not because his host wanted to rescue someone. What a joke it would be! The great king of Bijyuu, lost because of its host's need to save a human.<p>

It noticed a small crack on the puny bars holding it captive, and its mouth stretched into a mockery of a grin, teeth glinting even though the sewers it was in had not an ounce of light.

It then snarled as it was forced to send out yet another wave of its malicious chakra. It would be a long time before he could stop. His host was on the verge of death after all. The weakening of the bars though, were a much appreciated bonus.


	2. Depression

Naruto woke in an unfamiliar place. Instantly he cowered, bringing hands up to cover his face as he curled into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me…"

He whimpered, shaking as if he were a leaf billowing within a maelstrom. He felt something wet against his cheek and flinched violently. Opening his eyes, he met a pair of bright yellow ones. He blinked, brilliant cornflower blue eyes filled with curiosity.

A small fox stood before him, a bushy tail waving back and forth as it yipped excitedly. Its fur was a pure white in color. It licked his cheek happily. Naruto let a small smile spread across his face as he ran his hand through soft fur, smoothing through the tangles and removing bits of twigs and leaves which were stuck in it.

It was a soothing activity, and he let his mind relax as the wind blew through the area he was in. The tree he was under provided him with shade, only small patches of sunlight shining through the canopy of leaves. He let out a sigh of contentment. He felt really comfortable…

* * *

><p>Sakura hummed a tune to herself as she walked along the path into the hospital. Where was Sasuke-kun? The receptionist refused to let her in until she prove she was Sasuke-kun's teammate. She snorted at that. But then again, there were a lot of people who wanted to get in, after all. She could never thank Iruka-sensei enough for putting her on Sasuke-kun's team! She squealed just at the reminder that she was much closer to Sasuke-kun than all the other bimbos in her class.<p>

She took the lift up to the 17th floor and walked down to ward 17K. She opened the door, the scent of medicine and fresh, newly-changed sheets sweeping over her. The bed was empty.

"Where's Sasuke-kun?"

* * *

><p>As soon as Sasuke had awoken, he had been taken to see the council by Kakkashi. The man was grim-faced, and glanced at Sasuke's uncaring face once before turning away and resolutely ignoring him. The moment they reached the room where the council was, Kakkashi turned and left.<p>

Sasuke entered. He took a seat in the middle of the room, surrounded by the elders.

"Why did you leave Konoha?" was the first question he was asked. He didn't recognize any of the figures which gazed at him.

"I wanted power. Power to defeat _**him**_…" he replied truthfully, seeing no reason to lie. He clenched his teeth as he was reminded of how close he had come to obtaining said power.

"Would you leave again if you had the chance?"

"…" Maybe this could be used to his advantage… "Yes."

Sasuke closed the door behind him quietly and started to walk away. He smirked. He had been let off without any consequences. No, the situation was better than before, in fact. Now there were certain…ahem… privileges available to him.

* * *

><p>"It's him…"<p>

"What has that thing done now?"

"Stay away from him, honey…"

Naruto shuffled along the streets as whispers reached his ears. He kept his head down, refusing to let anyone see the hurt in his eyes. But he wouldn't cry. He had used up his tears a long time ago. Crying did no good. There was no one to hug him, take care of him, whisper to him that everything would be alright… A soft thud broke him out of his darkening thoughts. A rock fell to the floor.

"Mummy! I hit it!" a young boy crowed. His mother smiled at him tenderly. Naruto felt an uncomfortable stirring within his stomach.

"Good boy. If you can get it to fall, mummy will buy you ice-cream on the way home, okay?" She answered, looking at her son proudly. He clenched his fist, and walked away quickly.

Not looking where he was, he tripped over someone's foot and stumbled, catching his footing quickly. He didn't bother to see whose foot it was. He would have to suspect the whole of Konoha for that. He saw his apartment, and started to walk faster, on the verge of running. A man bumped into him.

"Hey," a gruff voice sounded from behind him. He slowly turned to look. "You bumped into me, you know? Can't see where you're going?" the words themselves were those of concern, but a look into the burly man's eyes, and he knew those were said in mocking contempt.

"I'm sorry," he said. It didn't matter that it was the man who had went out of his way to bump against him. It didn't matter that he had done it where Sasuke had pierced him with Chidori. The skin had broken again. And it was finally healed, too, although the area around it was still charred and twisted.

He was jostled into an alley that was conveniently built nearby. He was surprised the man didn't start pummeling him in the middle of the street, but he guessed they didn't want their own children to see the mess.

The man started slow. He took a knife and ran it along his chest, leaving a long bloody line. The wounds weren't deep, and would heal in a couple of seconds, but it stung. The man knew what he was doing, that was for sure.

The tattered clothes he wore did nothing to hinder the man's progress, and instead outlined the wounds he had from fighting Sasuke. The obvious hole over his heart in both the front and back clearly showed that he had been pierced through. The color of the flesh, charred black and raw, was no help either.

It seemed the man was frustrated by his utter lack of reaction. He threw the slow approach and brought the knife down directly into his eye instead, twisting the handle viciously and watching with glee as the nerves and flesh were torn away crudely. Naruto screamed. A loud, eerie howl that would give even the most hardened shinobi goosebumps. Blood ran from his eye, a nightmarish-version of tears.

The man's grin was turned to a mask of horror, as red chakra flowed out from the eye, healing it slowly. The eyeball re-stitched itself together and swiveled around to face him. The eye was a glowing red, the pupil a horizontal straight line so thin it could hardly be called a slit.

"!"

* * *

><p>He grinned. It had been so long! So long since he had felt the warmth of fresh blood running in rivulets down his arms. He longed for the time where he had bathed in the life-giving liquid. It was as satisfying as always to watch the nuisance's eyes dull as he dropped to the ground dead.<p>

Aww. It had been so long since he had killed, he forgot to take his time and enjoy! Tch. He licked the blood that remained on his claws happily, nearly purring. It was delicious! Like the finest wine, rich and sweet, a mixture of hatred and the highest peak of terror…

* * *

><p>The first thing he realized was the overwhelming metallic taste in his mouth and on the air. Naruto found himself lapping up blood that was all over his arm and splattered all over him. His eyes strayed to the pool of blood on the floor.<p>

A hand lay next to a corpse, roughly ripped out. Bits of unidentified tissue was littered across the floor, presumably the corpse's heart, as there was nothing left but a gaping hole in his chest, not unlike the wound Naruto received from Sasuke.

Naruto gagged, his eyes widening. No… No… He didn't kill him! No! He didn't! He didn't! The villagers' words rang in his head. _'It's true… I am a monster… A murderer…' _He stood and started to walk home, swaying slightly, muttering under his breathe all the while.

"I didn't kill him… I'm not a murderer… No…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Monster…"<em>

"_Stay away…"_

"_Loser…"_

"_Murderer…"_

_It was dark. He couldn't see anything. Whispers floated around him. Words he had heard all his life, but didn't hurt any less. A figure materialized. It was of a small girl. She was transparent, and her form wavered. Ripples formed under her feet. She looked up and him and smiled._

"_Onii-chan?" she giggled._

_Naruto reached a hand for her. Her cheerful face turned fearful. As if she had seen a demon. Blood poured out of her mouth. Naruto looked down. A furry paw was pierced through the little girl. She screamed, along with an uncountable number of others. Those of dying people._

_His hands were soaked in blood. He had killed all of them. Figures appeared one after another. Countless people, all with wounds over them; claw marks from his nails, deformity from his chakra, crushed organs from the pressure of his howl…_

_His own loud cry joined those of the corpses, his eyes wide as tears involuntarily started to be shed. A symphony, an orchestra of the dead. Beautiful. The conductor raised his hand, and the screams began anew, maniacal laughter as the guide._

_He had murdered, and he enjoyed it. He was a demon. He was the __**Kyuubi.**_

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up in a hurry, nearly throwing himself off the bed. His head was pounding. What was that? A dream? A memory of the past? Or… A prediction of the future…? Bile rose in his throat, and he didn't make it to the bathroom before retching. He coughed, hating the acid taste within his mouth. Just another mess to clean up.<p>

He looked at his hands. He could still remember the euphoria he felt as he easily ripped through thousands of bodies. His hands were stained red. It was disgusting. He walked over to his sink and ran the ice-cold water over his hands.

It wouldn't come off. Frowning, he rubbed his hands together in a futile effort to get the red stains he saw off. The meager amount of cold water he was allowed soon ran out, and the stains were still there!

The sun was rising. His brows furrowed. It was time to meet his team. Now what? He couldn't let them see the stains. He caught sight of his face in the small droplets of water all over the place. Couldn't let them see that either.

* * *

><p>In what seemed to be a sewer, a snicker echoed hauntingly within the empty canal. The boy was falling apart. A small piece of paper with the word 'Seal' written on it was stuck to thick metal bars, fluttering even though there wasn't any wind.<p>

The encaged beast roared, striking at the bars once again. A multitude of cracks spread across the bars, but barely a moment later, the bars regenerated itself. They used to be perfect. Even after he continuously butted against them for days, they had always regenerated. It was humiliating to have to put in so much effort and still not succeed in breaking out. But, no more.

Now… one of the bars was cracked. Ever since his vessel had fought the Uchiha, the bars hadn't been regenerating to their usual perfect form. Also, the piece of paper which held the bars close, unlikely as it was, was fluttering. It was weakening. Because the person who was holding it close was wavering.

Soon… Soon he would be free. Then he would face the world once again.

* * *

><p>Kakkashi shunshined to Team 7's meeting place. He wasn't late today. The moment he arrived, he found himself face to face with a finger. He blinked. One?<p>

"Kakkashi-sensei! You're la-" Sakura paused, checking her watch. "Not late today…" she trailed off.

Kakkashi chuckled, then looked around. Sakura. Yelling at him, check. Sasuke. Brooding there, check. Naruto…?

"Where's Naruto?"

"That idiot's not here!" Sakura raged, stomping her feet childishly, "He's so useless! Why can't he be on time?" she looked to Sasuke for approval.

"Hn" he grunted, visibly annoyed.

The trio waited for their teammate irritably. Where was he? If he wasn't here, they couldn't go take a mission!

* * *

><p>Naruto started skipping gaily as he approached Team 7. He could do this. No one would know. No one would even bother to see if he was alright. He could do this. He saw their form in the distance. He felt like puking.<p>

"Ohayo!" he shouted, cheerfully.

It was awkward. Sasuke just headed toward the Hokage tower as if Naruto wasn't worth his time. Sakura glared at him before following Sasuke, and Kakkashi-sensei wouldn't even look him in the eye. In fact, he was pretending Naruto didn't exist, and doing a mighty good job of it.

He didn't know whether to be happy or hurt. Happy that there was no chance of them being able to tell that something was off with him, or sad, because it meant they seriously didn't care.

They didn't care that Sasuke had run through him with a Chidori, something that Kakkashi-sensei taught him. They didn't care that his left eye was totally covered in bandages because somehow, the iris was red. They didn't care that his hands were tucked inside his pockets, contrary to his usual hand gestures, because he had used a kunai to scrape the skin off in an attempt to remove the stains that covered them. They didn't care at all.

* * *

><p>Tsunade was worried. Coincidently, the one she was worried about just entered her office. After the Sasuke retrieval mission, more than half of the shinobi involved had arrived at the hospital in a terrible state, some close and on the verge of death. The rest had given her the mission report. She had seen all of them.<p>

Everyone except Naruto. From the report, she knew that Naruto was the only one who had gone ahead to face Sasuke. No one except Naruto himself knew what had happened. She also knew that if Sasuke was prepared to leave Konoha, he would not let himself be taken back so easily.

"Hokage-sama. Hokage-sama?"

"Ah. Yes. You can have this C-rank,"

And his left eye was bandaged. Did Sasuke do that? She watched him and his team leave. Really, that boy…

* * *

><p>It was a simple enough C-rank. To deliver a package filled with herbs to the merchant caravan waiting to take them. There wasn't really any threat, besides the usual highway bandits. But things could never go so well for them.<p>

The predicted bandits had appeared, and aimed for the seemingly weakest of the group, the blonde and the girl. Sakura had fended them off well enough, but Naruto couldn't. He knew he could take them. Easily, in fact.

But their faces had turned to tortured ones as they were burned in flames, and suddenly he found that not only his hands, but his whole body was drenched in blood. His mind resounded with words repeated many times by more than a thousand different people. 'Monster', 'Demon', 'Murderer'.

* * *

><p>Kakkashi watched with veiled concern as Naruto froze when he saw the bandits and didn't react as they came rushing towards him with their weapons. He desperately wanted to go help him, but he was under the council's orders not to.<p>

Thankfully, Sasuke stepped in to knock out all the bandits before they could reach him. He then turned to face Naruto and sneered.

"Scared, dobe?"

He ignored the swoons of how cool Sasuke was coming from the only girl in their team, and observed Naruto's face closely. Ignoring the alarming fact that Naruto hadn't retorted, there was something… off about the boy. Something that was not his bandaged eye. When had that happened?

"Let's go," he said, almost wincing as his voice came out bored and uncaring.

But then again, it was supposed to.

The otherwise uneventful mission was over in a flash, and the team headed back to Konoha, splitting their different ways to head to each of their homes. When Kakkashi slept that night, he dreamt of his usually hyperactive student, and how his eyes had looked so very_ dead_.

* * *

><p>Naruto loitered about the gates of Konoha, unwilling to return to his tiny apartment if it meant having to walk through the village and facing those heated glares and whispers again. He would have to, of course. It was his home after all. Just… Not now. Not when it would once again remind him of how useless he was.<p>

He found himself in the forest again, and a small fox pranced out of the surrounding bushes. He grinned. The fox jumped onto his shoulders and purred, rubbing its cheek against Naruto's. Naruto was content, really. He wouldn't have minded staying like this forever. At least _one_ living being liked him.

He sighed as the sun started to set, painting the sky a brilliant flare of orange and reds. It was time to go. He stood reluctantly, attempting to shake the fox kit off his shoulder. It refused, though, and clung to his shoulder stubbornly, its claws digging into his shoulder. He resisted the urge to sigh again and walked in the general direction of his home.

He desperately wished no one would see the kit. Thankfully, it had enough sense to allow being wrapped up in his orange jacket. His trip home was unsuccessful though. He encountered a group of drunks who cornered him when he attempted to take a shortcut home through an alleyway.

He couldn't help but curse himself for being so stupid. Giggles welled up within him and he fought it down. Seriously. Alleys again? The situation was just an endless cycle of repetition. Then his jacket moved, and then he was just so scared. Because there was no way he could hide it from them.

True to his thoughts, the kit was found by the drunkards. And he watched as their faces twisted in hatred and disgust. He tried, of course, to stop them as they dragged the kit away from him, squealing and wiggling. He tried to save it. But he couldn't. Couldn't do anything but watch.

He watched as they threw sake bottles at it. Watched as they tore its little limbs off slowly. Watched as they gouged out its eyes and carved wounds all over its body. Watched as they left it there to bleed to death in torment.

He didn't escape unscathed, but he hardly noticed his injuries. The pain he felt within his chest was a thousand, no, a million times worst.

* * *

><p>Naruto stared at the kunai by his bedside. The remains of the fox was in a small box buried in the Earth at the edge of the forest, not far from where it had been killed. He hadn't been able to do anything. He should have been the one to die. No one wanted him alive anyway.<p>

Death was tempting. Should he? But then again, Kyuubi would heal all his wounds anyway. It was retribution, he decided. For living when so many others –like that kit- couldn't. For living when he didn't deserve it.

As he dragged the kunai across his forearm, he took the pain and buried it, as he had done so many times before. Deep, deep inside him where all his past grievances were buried, completely unaware that it was strengthening the monster that purred inside.


	3. Revelations

Sasuke snarled. It wasn't enough. _He_ wasn't enough. Yes, Kakkashi was teaching him. But! What about that… he clenched his teeth. Dobe? Even Kakkashi's most powerful jutsu, the Chidori, hadn't been enough to defeat him. That chaotic storm of red chakra…

He glared at his so-called teachers and started to do the katas again. He would find out the source of the dobe's power. And when he did…

* * *

><p>Naruto ran up to the bridge where Team 7 usually met.<p>

"Hey guys!" he grinned, waving his hand enthusiastically.

Instead of chattering to his team as he usually would, he leaned on the side of the bridge, almost collapsing in his attempt to sit. He would just pretend to sleep. That way, he would have an excuse to not be bothering the other two and could at least rest… a… little…

"Dobe. Fight me,"

* * *

><p>The dobe didn't move. Red clouded his vision. Did the dobe think that he was too good for him? Did he dare to think that Sasuke was weaker? Sasuke lunged for the boy, his fist itching to just feel the crunch of the other boy's bones. He ignored Sakura's calls of 'Sasuke-kun!' as his mind narrowed to focus on Naruto.<p>

"Did you think you were saving me?" he spat, gutting the other boy and watching him fall to the floor with a sadistic grin.

Naruto stared at him for a while, making Sasuke slightly uncomfortable at how serious the dobe's eyes looked, and was just about to punch him when Naruto spoke.

"I don't regret bringing you back Sasuke." He said, astonishingly calm. "I don't regret helping you, even if you hate me for it."

Sasuke didn't want to acknowledge that the dobe was as good as him. But, as he trained under the jounin of Konoha, he couldn't help but be reminded of how the dobe had stopped him from going to Orochimaru. His shoulder still tingled even after the wound had been healed. Did Naruto pity him? Was that why he didn't aim for his heart?

"You thought you were helping? I wanted to go. I needed that power." Sasuke returned, shaking with pent up anger. How could this… dead-last grow that strong in such a short time? He stressed on each word, repeatedly punching the other boy.

* * *

><p>Naruto lay on the ground as Sasuke vented his frustration on him. His head was thrown back when the first punch connected, and started to bruise. His body started to sting with the force of Sasuke's punches.<p>

He didn't mind, though. He deserved it. He would take it all, just like he bore the anger of the villagers. Because that was something only he could do. They were hurt, and needed an outlet. Likewise, Sasuke was in turmoil. So, he would give him at least some control, a place, an object to vent his frustrations on.

For it was his duty. His duty as a Jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice…

* * *

><p>Kyuubi didn't know what to think of Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha had both assisted and hindered him. He had killed his container, and forced the Kyuubi to waste his chakra to drag his container's soul back into his body even as his own soul was being dragged away. Known as he was for his unlimited chakra, it wasn't an easy feat.<p>

Because of that, though, the seal had weakened, which allowed him to influence the boy's thoughts. It pained him to say that he had to, if he wanted to escape the seal the cursed human had dared to place on him.

Uchiha Sasuke had also… helped, he would grudgingly admit, to break his container and turn him into the battered boy he was today. It was a nuisance, though, to keep healing his host's body every time someone decided they needed a punching bag.

Having decided, a flick of his tails sent out a storm of chakra which whirled down the sewer.

* * *

><p>Sasuke felt his anger slowly drain away, and guilt start to fill the space in his heart, gnawing at his flesh like a savage animal. Naruto lay on the floor, broken and bloodied. He shook, the rage leaving him all at once. And then all he could see was Naruto, the blood, and what he had done.<p>

"N-Naruto…" he called, his eyes slightly widened.

Oh god. He didn't think he would be able to stand it if he had just killed his best friend. He knew he was, but he would rather die before saying it out loud. And look where that got him. Wouldn't this make him just like _him_? Like that bastard who murdered his family in cold blood?

"N-Naruto," he stated weakly, hating how he could detect a wavering in his voice, "Hey… Wake up…" he called, the boy's unresponsive face hurting more than what he could say about himself.

He couldn't stop his lips from turning up slightly, nor his eyes from shining with hope, when he saw the boy stir. What happened the next moment, however, shocked him to his very core. When he looked back on the situation, maybe he would admit, privately, that he had been scared.

Now though, he seriously thought he would die, as he stared into the blood-thirsty eyes of a demon. Before he could blink, he was pinned against a tree by a clawed hand, and he faintly registered Sakura screaming, occupied as he was with the hand tightening around his throat and the utter lack of air. Black spots started dancing in front of his eyes.

Then, he was released, and he saw Sakura throwing a ton of kunai at Naruto. It was deflected by a cloud of red chakra before coming even a foot near him. The boy swept a hand in her general direction, and she, along with several big trees which fell crashing to the ground with a thud, was pushed away savagely by that odd red chakra.

Then it hit him. It was the chakra which Naruto showed during the fight with him at the Valley of the End. He grinned maniacally. He would find out what that power was, and make it his. Then, he would get his revenge.

All thoughts fled out of his head, however, as he found himself face to face with Naruto. Or was it? The only thing he could think about was a single sentence, one that ran around his head replaying over and over like a broken record. He would never have even considered the possibility, before he came face to face with the massive amount of killing intent aimed at him.

It made the time he fought with Orochimaru in the forest seem like a childish squabble in comparison. It was crushing him, squeezing all the hope out of him. And he knew, that stabbing himself with a kunai wasn't enough to work this time.

_I'm going to die._

* * *

><p>Naruto opened his eyes to the insistent dripping of a drop of water. The <em>plip-plop<em> sounds were really starting to annoy him. So he was in the damned canal again. He stared up blankly at the Kyuubi, ignoring its rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

"Yo brat." It greeted, almost amiably.

He frowned. Something was off about Kyuubi. He was never this, dare he say, happy to see him. Then, he noticed that the water was tainted by the bubbling orange of the Kyuubi's chakra. His eyes widened. He looked at the world through his body, and saw himself holding a struggling Sasuke against a tree. His hand started to close. The boy's neck was starting to get burned from the malicious chakra.

No… He didn't work this hard, slaved away for all those years, for them to find out about the Kyuubi now. They couldn't. They just couldn't.

"Stop it, stupid fox!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke watched as Naruto's eyes widened, and started to change back to blue. He seemed to be struggling with something. Another hand rose, this one not covered in chakra, and he winced as he thought it would join the first one in strangling him. But, they rose to pull against the hand covered in chakra instead.<p>

He took in a much needed gulp of air desperately, almost choking with the speed he breathed. Naruto was in there somewhere, he knew. Somewhere deep inside the beast that was now controlling his body. He had to help him.

The bloodthirsty eyes of the Kyuubi stared at him, a maniacal grin twisting his teammates face.

Although… it didn't even look like he could help himself…

* * *

><p>Naruto struggled with the fox, trying to regain control of his body.<p>

"Stop it!" he shouted, desperately.

He could feel himself weakening. What was the point of stopping the Kyuubi? Sasuke and Sakura both probably found out about what he was now. He should go to Tsunade-obaachan and ask her for a change of teams… before he saw the faces of his most precious people with the looks of fear and hatred he had long since got used to.

And then all of a sudden, he was in control of his body again. Waves of pain crashed into him, his skin practically peeling off because of the Kyuubi's potent chakra. Every movement he made caused blood to squirt out of the uncountable tears in his skin, droplets of the life-giving liquid painting the ground a deep, wine red.

The pain barely registered to him though, used to it as he was and utterly horrified at the scene before him.

Sakura had been blown away by a maelstrom of chakra, along with quite a few trees that were reduced to pieces of bark and scorched leaves. She had been knocked out almost as soon as Kyuubi appeared, and didn't suffer all that much damage. Not when he compared it to Sasuke.

Sasuke… What stood out most were the handprints on his neck, an angry, blistering red. He had numerous burns all over his body, some barely just flaking skin, where others were burnt black and bleeding openly. If nothing was done soon, he would die. Either from blood loss, or the wounds which would soon start to fester.

Naruto took one look at this scene, and fled.


End file.
